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Pennsylvania - Court orders Fulton Bar shut

OFF THE WIREThe Fulton Bar on Plum Street in Lancaster.

It could be last call for the current incarnation of the Fulton Bar.A county judge has issued a temporary injunction closing the bar until an Oct. 18 hearing to address the city's claims that it's a nuisance, a danger to the community and a "haven for disorderly persons."The city has tried to work with the owners, but to no avail, Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray said."We don't like doing it. I don't like doing it — especially to a place like the Fulton that used to be a nice neighborhood place," Gray said Wednesday.Police have responded to 36 complaints at the bar between Jan. 1 and Aug. 20 and another 16 complaints in the area immediately around the bar, according to court documents filed in seeking the injunction.Calls have included such problems as shots fired, public drunkenness, assault, noise, theft and fighting."We don't have a real high tolerance for things like this," Gray said. "Decent people just shouldn't have to live around this kind of thing."Patricia Gribben, 60, who owns the bar with her husband, Harold Gribben, 65, said they have taken steps to address the city's concerns.A couple months ago, signs were put up to deter loitering and prohibit gang clothing and, Gribben said, in August, they hired an "excellent new bouncer who's known around the city. He pats everybody down. He knows all the riff-raff" and keeps them out.And some problems cited by the city aren't the fault of the bar, she said.For example, she said, an Aug. 11 incident in which a patron was accused of firing shots happened outside the bar.While the man was at the bar that night, Gribben said it was her understanding that he had left and perhaps that's when he got the gun.And a description by police of customers spilling outside the bar to watch a patron argue with someone was instead everyone leaving at closing time, she said.A summary of police activity included with the court documents mentions the presence of outlaw motorcycle gangs.But it's a myth that the bar is a biker bar, Gribben said.Gribben said her husband had joined the Strong Arm club to ride several years ago, but hasn't ridden in a couple of years and is no longer a member. The club is affiliated with the Pagans, according to police.